CSUN men’s soccer hosted the Seattle University Redhawks (0-2-2) Thursday night, resulting in a 0-0 tie. The last time the two teams met was last year in Seattle, where the Redhawks scored four straight goals to secure the 4-3 win over CSUN.
The Matadors (2-0-2), seeking their third-straight win to start the season, began the game in a 3-4-3 formation and had the opportunity to take the lead with a free kick by captain and midfielder Jorge Solorzano 17 minutes into the game.
Solorzano crossed the ball to the far post, away from Redhawks’ goalkeeper Charlie Lanphier. Lanphier saw CSUN midfielder Justin Sosa move away from his defensive marker and go airborne as he directed the ball towards goal, hitting the crossbar.
CSUN continued pressing and producing effective back-and-forth passes, managing to make a late first-half cross inside the penalty box. Defender Luke Lawrence centered the ball to forward Odin Rosten whose header traveled left, away from goal and Seattle keeper Lanphier.
The Matadors’ goalkeeper, Dorian Drucks, had four saves in the match, earning him a new milestone and accumulating his one-hundredth career save for CSUN.
“Every game is different. Our defense starts at the top as we press, and that’s how our coaches prepare us,” Drucks said after the game. “Our defense did a good job. It’s tough to play a team like Seattle. They have a lot of good players, but I think we did a good job and deserved a win.”
Drucks’ presence on the pitch showed the quality of work he’s put in for the Matadors. He added another clean sheet for his side, having yet to concede any goal in over 360 minutes.
“I felt tested by Seattle. They had a lot of crossing opportunities,” Drucks said. “Today, I just wanted to make sure to keep the ball away from our own goal.”
Seattle midfielder Edgar Leon was handed his second yellow card of the game after colliding midair with CSUN defender Siddiq Lezzar.
Sean Wright, central referee, pulled out the red card for Leon in the 68th minute, leaving the Redhawks to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game.
The Matadors went on the attack with a one-man advantage. A goal opportunity came for forward Zion Wagoner with 11 minutes remaining in the match. A reviewable call in the second half saw CSUN be denied a goal opportunity.
The referee consulted the Video Assistant Referee to review the play in which forward Enrique Pineda got a touch in before Wagoner placed the ball in the top right corner. The goal was ruled offside, keeping the score at 0-0.
Head coach Terry Davila reacted to this call after the game.
“Anytime they have to make critical decisions like that, it plays a big factor from our standpoint,” Davila said. “We looked at it, and I thought it was a goal, and the referee decided that it wasn’t. He’s the one who’s in control, and you got to respect his decision.”
The Matadors will hit the road for two consecutive matches. Their next matchup will be played at San Jose State as they take on the Spartans Thursday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m.
